Leo I of Galicia
Leo I of Galicia , called Lew (Lev) Danilowitsch ( Ukrainian : Лев Данилович) (* around 1228, † around 1301) was a Rurikid prince. He came from the dynasty of the Rurikids, was Prince of Bels from 1245 to 1264, followed in 1264 as Prince of Halych-Volodymyr and Prince of Przemyśl , in 1269 as 3rd King of Halych-Volodymyr and was also Grand Prince of Kiev from 1271 to 1301 . He tried to secure his rule through his marriage policy and through cooperation with the Mongols of the Golden Horde and to expand it through military conquests, whereby the historical Kingdom of Galicia reached its greatest extent under his government. His name lives in the name of the city named after him Lviv (from Lew, Liw = Leo) in the Ukraine, d. that is, the city known under the old Austrian name "Lemberg".
origin
Leo I came from the Russian dynasty of the Rurikids , the dynasty that split up European Rus - from the 10th to the 16th centuries - with a focus on Novgorod and Kiev . The branch of the Rurikids, from which Leo I descended, goes back to Vladimir Vsevolodowitsch Monomakh , who ruled as Grand Duke of Kiev from 1113 to 1125 .
Leo's grandfather Roman Mstislavich "the Great" was Prince of Veliky Novgorod from 1167–1169 , Prince of Volodymyr from 1170 , Prince of Galicia from 1188 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 1200/01 . He fell on June 19, 1205. Roman Mstislavich was the founder of the united Principality of Galicia-Volhynia .
Leo's father Daniel Romanowitsch of Galicia (* 1201, † 1264) is next to Alexander Newski as the most important prince of the Kievan Rus in the early days of the rule of the Golden Horde of the Mongols . From 1211/12 he was Prince of Galicia, from 1205 to 1243 Prince of Lodomeria, from 1221 Prince of Vladimir-Volhynsk and from 1231 to 1240 Grand Duke of Kiev. He subordinated his regional church to the Holy See and was crowned the first king of Galicia by a legate on behalf of Pope Innocent IV in 1253 and ruled as such from 1253 to 1264.
Leo's mother, Anna Mstislawna Princess of Novgorod († before 1252), also came from the house of the Rurikids . She was a daughter of Mstislaw Mstislawitsch the Bold (* before 1176, † 1228) who was Prince of Novgorod from 1206 to 1218 and - with interruptions - from 1218 to 1227 Prince of Galicia. His wife was a daughter of Khan Kotjan of the Turkic people of the Kipchaks , who sacked Kiev in 1203.
After the death of his first wife, King Daniel Romanowitsch married a second marriage before 1253 to a sister of the Lithuanian Prince Towtiwil, who died in 1263 as Prince of Polotsk.
Of his siblings, his brother, Roman Danilowitsch of Galicia, Prince of Slonim and Nowogrodek († after 1260), is of interest, since his first marriage in 1252 was Gertrud of Austria , the titular duchess of Austria and Styria (* around 1228 ; † who was twice widowed) April 24, 1299 ) married. She was a daughter of Duke Heinrich the Cruel of Austria and the last surviving heir of her house, which enabled Roman Danilowitsch to lay claim to the Duchy of Austria in 1252 . In view of the unsuccessfulness of his efforts, he not only renounced his territorial claims, but also his wife Gertrud, from whom he separated in 1253.
Life
youth
Leo I was the eldest son of his parents and grew up in Halych, the capital of his father's kingdom . The then capital of the Kingdom of Galicia is now a small town on the banks of the Dniester River in western Ukraine with around 6,000 inhabitants, which is about 26 kilometers northeast of the Oblast center (about the provincial capital) Ivano-Frankivsk . The residence of the princes of Halitsch-Volhynia was in Halitsch Castle , which dominates the city of the same name from a hill. The still existing walls of the castle, which has been mentioned in a document since 1114, probably contain structural remains that go back to the time of King Leo. The St. Panteleyon Church, which was donated by Leo's grandfather Roman Mstislawitsch the Great in 1194 , probably goes back in part to Leo's time. The young Prince Leo received his education to be a general and regent there and probably a rather economical intellectual training.
Marriage policy
Leo's father, King Danil Romanovich of Galicia, pursued a westward policy that is evident not only in the annexation of the national church to Rome, but also in the selection of the wife for his eldest son. This choice of partner corresponded to a balanced political strategy, because this marriage was intended to secure the new kingdom both to the west and to the east through family relationships. Leo I. therefore became Princess of Hungary (* 1237/1238, † December 6, 1240), a daughter of Bela IV. "Venerabilis" , King of Hungary and Croatia (1235-1270), Duke of Styria in 1251/52 with Konstanze (1254–1258) from the house of the Árpáden married. Through this marriage Leo came into brotherhood with a number of important rulers. For example with Stephan V , King of Hungary and Croatia (1270–1272), and through his sisters also with Bolesław V, Duke of Lesser Poland in Krakow († 1279), Rostislav Michailowitsch Grand Duke of Kiev († 1263), Henry XIII . , Duke of Bavaria , in Lower Bavaria († 1290) and Boleslaw the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland in Kalisch (* after 1221, † 1279). This was also a good choice from a religious - now Roman Catholic - perspective. This is because Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia (* 1207, † 1231) was a sister of Leo's father-in-law, King Béla IV, and two of his daughters - Margaret of Hungary († 1271) and Kunigunde of Hungary († 1292) - were canonized and Jolenta-Helena († 1303) were beatified. Even his wife Konstanze was venerated as a saint after her death in Lemberg, according to the legend about her sister Kunigunde. His mother-in-law Maria Laskarina († 1270) also established important family relationships. She was a daughter of Theodoros I. Laskaris Emperor of Byzantium in exile at Nicaea (1208-1222) and Anna Angelina, a daughter of Alexios III. Emperor of Byzantium (1195–1203). Leo I was among other things with John III. Dukas Vatatzes (Batatzes) Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in Nicäa (1222–1254) and with Frederick the Warring Duke of Austria and Duke of Styria († 1246) and about the Angeloi with Alexios V. Dukas Murzuphlos, who was briefly emperor of Byzantium in 1204 Constantinople was related by marriage.
Relationship with the Mongols
The concept of securing the new Kingdom of Galicia through dynastic marriages, which was built up by Leo's father on these family relationships, was, however, called into question by the advance of the Mongols into the Russian principalities, as this resulted in a complete change in the political framework. The Mongol storm was an event that, as the Novgorod Chronicle records, was completely incomprehensible to the population, spreading death and horror: “Unknown nations came. Nobody knew where they came from or what religion they belonged to. Only God knows that and maybe wise men who learn from books ”.
Leo's father, Daniel, was already confronted with this threat, because he had taken part in the battle of the Kalka in 1223 , in which a coalition consisting of Russian princes with princes of the Polovz (Cumans) was defeated by the Mongols, whereupon the Mongols fell surprisingly withdrew from Russia.
The next invasion of the Mongols took place in 1237 under Batu the Magnificent (* 1205, † 1255) - the Khan of the Golden Horde and a grandson of Genghis Khan - and his general Subutai . Leo himself experienced this campaign as a youth, during which cities such as Suzdal , Vladimir and Ryazan were conquered in northeastern Rus and then Chernigov , Pereyaslav and in December 1240 Kiev were conquered and destroyed in southwestern Rus . His father's principality of Halych-Volhynia was also conquered by the Mongols, to which King Daniel had to formally submit.
In the home of Leo there was a renewed confrontation with the Mongols in 1254/55. A dispute over the collection of taxes led to Tatar raids that were militarily repulsed by King Daniel and his son Leo I. After this success, King Daniel hoped to be able to shake off the Mongolian rule. It was an attempt that ended in fiasco. Because in the years 1258/59 a large Mongolian army under Burundai and Nogai Khan passed through the kingdom of King Daniel and forced him to submit again, to destroy his own fortress Galitsch and to pay tribute to the Golden Horde . From there, Nogai Khan moved on, first to Lithuania and then to Poland . In both cases, the nobility of Galicia under the leadership of King Daniel's brother, Prince Vasilko Romanovich and his son Leo I, was forced by the Mongols to military successes and even to attack their own cities, which had refused to demolish their city walls.
Part of the ritual of the rule of the Mongols was the summoning of the subjugated Russian princes to the capital of the Golden Horde in Sarai on the lower reaches of the Volga not far from today's Volgograd . They were used to control the exercise of power, whereby these visits could end in very different ways for the individual princes: with recognition and promotions, but also with death sentences through beheading or quartering.
In 1263 Leo I, who was with his uncle Vasilko in the suite of his father, King Daniel, is mentioned as a visitor to the Tatar camp of Khan Burundai.
Leo I's policy towards the Mongols was based on the idea that, given their massive military superiority, he had no way of fighting them, and therefore had to try to survive as a prince through close cooperation with the Mongols and - if possible - through this even expand his empire. During his reign, Leo I managed to establish close relationships with the Khan of the Golden Horde, Nogai Khan , a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. This, however, at the price of military success in Mongolian campaigns, even against their own allies. For example, he took part in Nogai Khan's attack on Poland , where he advanced to Racibórz in Silesia , brought prisoners and booty home, but was unable to achieve any territorial gains. With the destruction of the old capitals of Russian power, which could not recover for a long time, new centers such as Moscow and Tver whose princes - like those of the Kingdom of Galicia - had allied themselves with the Mongols , experienced a certain heyday.
Extension of rule
After the death of his father, Leo I had inherited only the southern part of his domain, since the north-western part - with the city of Halych - fell to his younger brother Johann Shvarn and the principalities of Lutsk and Terebovl to his brother Roman Danilowitsch. Since the old capital of the principality had fallen to his younger brother, Leo had to look for a new capital. He therefore chose Lemberg as his capital and residence. This city was founded by his father, King Danil Romanovich of Galicia, and named after his son Leo I, whose name in Ukrainian was Liv or Liw, which is why the city was named "Lviv". Leo felt himself disadvantaged compared to his younger brother and was therefore always keen to expand his sphere of control. Thanks to the support of the Mongolian supremacy and Leo’s military successes, Leo achieved that the historical principality of Galicia-Vokhynia reached its greatest extent under his rule.
Battle for Lithuania
Lithuania was one of the focal points of Leo I's efforts to expand his rule. These ambitions were based on the fact that his stepmother - his father's second wife - had certain inheritance claims to rule in Lithuania. This is because she came from the dynasty of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and was a niece of Mindaugas I , who ruled as Grand Duke from 1238 and as King of Lithuania from 1253 to 1263. In addition, Leo's brother, Johann (Svarn / Švarno / Svarnas) Danilowitsch Prince of Galicia-Volhynia and Cholm († 1269) had been married to a daughter of Mindaugas I since 1255 .
In addition, there was a murderous power struggle in the Lithuanian ruling family. King Mindaugas was murdered in 1263 on behalf of his nephew Tenota, who rose to Grand Duke of Lithuania that same year, but was murdered himself in 1265. He was succeeded as Grand Duke by his cousin Vaišelga (Vaišvilkas), the only son of King Mindaugas, who had become a monk after the killing of his father's murderer, resigned in 1267 after only 2 years of reign, returned to the monastery and his brother-in-law - Prince John / Shvarn Danilowitsch of Galicia - d. that is, Leo's brother, who actually succeeded him as Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1267.
Leo, deeply disappointed that it was not himself but his brother who had been chosen as the new Grand Duke of Lithuania, had the former Grand Duke Vaišelga, who lived in the monastery, murdered. After only two years, however, his brother Johann / Shwarn was overthrown and expelled as Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1269, whereupon a rival Lithuanian magnate named Traidenis / Trojden († around 1282) seized power in 1270 and became Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Despite his defeat in the fight for control of Lithuania, Leo did not give up his ambitions in this regard, which resulted in a two-year war between Leo I and Traidenis / Troiden, the Grand Duke of Lithuania (1270-1282) in the years 1274 to 1276 Leo also relied on the fact that Traidenis had refused baptism and was therefore a professing pagan. In this war, however, King Leo I was defeated and thereby lost the territory of Black Ruthenia (a historical landscape in the south-west of today's Belarus ) with the city of Navahradak, which was annexed by Lithuania.
War against Poland
Leo I later turned his attention back to the west, allied himself with Wenceslaus II , King of Bohemia (1278–1305), and together with him undertook a campaign to Poland, which was split into rival principalities. This campaign turned out to be unsuccessful for Leo, as the real goal of conquering the city of Krakow was missed. In 1292 Leo I waged war against Poland again and, following military successes, was able to conquer the city of Lublin , located about 180 kilometers northwest of its capital Lemberg (today the capital of the voivodeship of the same name in eastern Poland ) and the Polish territories bordering the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia and annex.
War against hungary
Leo also undertook an attack on Hungary , where he succeeded after a military success, temporarily Transcarpathian and the city of Munkatsch (Ukrainian Мукачеве), today in the western Ukrainian Oblast Transcarpathian .
Career as a prince
Leo went through a princely "career" according to the common practice of the Rurikid dynasty, which included the following stages
Prince of Bels (1245–1264)
At the beginning of his career as the ruling prince, he became prince (Knyaz) of Bels . It was an independent Ruthenian principality that emerged in 1170 as part of a territorial division, which had been incorporated into the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia in 1233 by Leo's father Danil Romanowitsch of Galicia. The territory of this principality today would lie partly in the west of today's Ukraine, partly in eastern Poland.
Prince of Halych-Volodymyr and of Przemyśl (1264–1301)
In 1264 Leo succeeded his father in the southern part of the principality of Halych-Volodymyr with the city of Lemberg and as Prince of Przemyśl . The Principality of Halitsch-Volodymyr was divided among the sons of King Daniel, with the northwestern part of the principality falling to his brother Shvarn and Roman receiving the principalities of Lutsk and Terebovl. After Leo had inherited his brother Shvarn in 1269, his domain included the present-day historical landscapes of Galicia , Volhynia , Podlachia , Polesia and Podolia and was therefore one of the most powerful East Slavic states between the late 12th century and the early 14th century . The historic Principality of Przemyśl was in the area of today's Subcarpathian Voivodeship in the extreme south-east of Poland on the San River on the border with Ukraine and was an independent Russian principality from 1085 to 1269. As a result of the Mongol invasion of the Rus , it was later annexed by Poland.
King of Galicia (1264 / 69–1301)
Leo's father Daniel Romanowitsch had achieved royal dignity in 1253 by subordinating the church of his hereditary countries to the authority of the Pope. It is not entirely clear who inherited the title of king after his death, as some sources see Leo as a direct successor, while others see him as king only in 1269, although it is unclear whether his uncle Vasilko Romanowitsch or his brother Johan / Shvarn Danilowitsch - the both died in 1269 - bearing the title of king.
Grand Duke of Kiev (1271–1301)
In 1271 Leo I rose as the senior of his house to Grand Duke of Kiev , which was primarily an honorary title and meant only a small increase in power, since Kiev was destroyed by the Mongols and the surrounding areas were looted and devastated by them. Leo I died in 1301 and left his kingdom to his son, Juri I. Levowitsch, who succeeded him as King of Galicia in 1301.
Marriage and offspring
Leo I married in 1251/52 Konstanze von Ungarn, a daughter of Béla IV , King of Hungary (1237-1270), and Maria Laskarina (* 1206, † 1270), a daughter of Theodoros I Laskaris , Emperor of Byzantium in exile at Nicaea (1208–1222).
progeny
-
Juri I. Levowitsch , King of the Rus (1301–1308) (* 1251/52, † April 24, 1308) ⚭ I. 1282 Jaroslavna Princess of Tver, a daughter of Jaroslaw III. Yaroslavich († 1272 ), Grand Duke of Tver and Vladimir , ⚭ II. Before 1300 Eufemia of Kujawien (from the house of the Piasts, † March 18, 1308), a daughter of Casimir I, Prince of Kujawien etc. († 1267) and the Euphrosine Duchess of Silesia-Opole. His sons died unmarried. He only had permanent offspring through his daughters from his 2nd marriage:
- Maria Jurjewna of Galicia (* v. 1293, † 11 January 1341) ⚭ before 1310 Trojans of Masovia, Prince of Socharozev a. Czersk, from the House of the Piasts († March 13, 1341). The descendants include a. Cimburgis of Mazovia (* 1394/97, † 1429), who, as the wife of Ernst the Iron (* 1377, † 1424), was Duke of Austria in Inner Austria and became the ancestor of the later Habsburgs .
- Anastasia Jurjewna of Galicia ⚭ 1320 Alexander Michailowitsch , Grand Duke of Vladimir and Grand Duke of Tver († October 29, 1339 in Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde, quartered by the Mongols)
- Svyatoslawa Lewowna, nun to Sta Klara in Soncz, † 1302
- Anastasia Lewowna († March 12, 1335), ⚭ before 1301 her brother-in-law Ziemovit von Kujawien, Prince of Dobrzyn (* 1262/67, † 1309/14) from the house of the Piasts († 1309/14) (four sons without descendants)
See also
literature
- Werner Philipp, "Old Russia until the end of the 16th century" in Propylaea World History, Volume 5
- Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall , “History of the Golden Horde in Kipchak, that is the Mongols in Russia”, Pest: 1840
- Wilhelm Barthold: Turkestan down to the Mongol invasion. 4th ed. Luzec, London 1977, pp. 402-403 (reprint of the London 1928 edition),
- Abraham Ascher: History of Russia. Magnus Verlag, Essen 2005, p. 30, ISBN 3-88400-432-8 .
- Hartmut Rüß: The old Russian principalities under the rule of the Golden Horde. In: Johannes Gießauf and Johannes Steiner (eds.): "Master over the peoples in the felt wall tents". Steppe empires from Attila to Chinggis Khan. Proceeds from the International Symposium at the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (September 28/29, 2006) (= Grazer Morgenländische Studien 7), Graz 2009, ISBN 978-3-902583-05-5 , pp. 81–113.
- Detlev Schwennicke, “European Family Tables, New Series”, Volume II; Stargardt publishing house, Marburg, 1984
Individual evidence
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke, "European Family Tables, New Series" Volume II, Plate 135; Published by J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke, European Family Tables Volume II, Plate 136; Published by J. A. Stargardt, Marburg 1984
- ↑ Delev Schwennicke, European Family Tables, Volume II. Plate 136
- ↑ Delev Schwennicke, European Family Tables, Volume II, Plate 1379; Published by J. A. Stargardt, Marburg 1984
- ↑ Wiki article in English: "Kipchaks"
- ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke, op. Cit. Plate 155
- ↑ ESNF II. Plate 155
- ↑ Klaniczay, Gábor (2002). Holy Rulers and Blessed Princes: Dynastic Cults in Medieval Central Europe; Page 123, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42018-0 .
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke, op. Cit. Volume II, Plate 182
- ↑ Detlev Schwennike op. Cit. Volume II, Plate 179
- ↑ Michell, Robert; Forbes, Nevell (1914). "The Chronicle of Novgorod 1016-1471". Michell. London, Offices of the Society. Page 64.
- ↑ Werner Philipp, "Old Russia up to the end of the 16th century" in Propylaea World History Volume 5, page 245
- ↑ Werner Philipp, op. Cit. Page 245
- ↑ Wiki article in English "Leo I of Galicia"
- ↑ Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall , “History of the Golden Horde in Kipchak, that is the Mongols in Russia”, Pest: 1840
- ↑ Charles Cawley, "Medieval Lands"
- ↑ European Family Tables New Series Volume II, Plate 136
- ^ Charles Cawley: "Medieval Lands" [fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/LITHUANIA.htm#_Toc360003664]
- ↑ Charles Cawley op. Cit. "Traidenis"
- ↑ Wikipedia, in English: Article "Shvarn"
- ↑ For example the Wiki article in English: "Leo of Galicia"
- ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands
- ↑ European Family Tables, Volume II. Plate 136
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke, op. Cit. Plate 122
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke op. Cit. Plate 123
- ↑ Detlev Schwennicke op. Cit. Plate 148
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leo I of Galicia |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lev Danilovich; Lev Danilovich; Лев Данилович (Ukrainian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Rurikid prince |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1228 |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1301 |